by Chris Woodyard, USA TODAY

by Chris Woodyard, USA TODAY

MONTEREY, Calif. -- In his bowler hat and red bow-tie, Dale Barry of Los Angeles could have walked right out of 1934 when we saw him at Rolex Motorsports Reunion at the Mazda Laguna Seca raceway. And that's only appropriate since he's driving a Morgan three-wheel racer from the same year.

Morgan is still making cars, mostly the four-wheel variety in recent years, but there's not escaping the fun that Barry say he has on the track with his three-wheeler. The 1934 car will top out at about 75 miles per hour, enough to skid that rear wheel around turns.

The car was saved from a chicken coop in Oxford, England, where it was found in 1988, he says. By 1991, it was racing again. Even with the restoration, Barry says he has to be careful. He's already blown an engine in spectacular fashion -- with a piston ended up sticking out the side.

You come away from speaking with him with the sense that he shares the belief of Morgan's founder when it comes to four-wheel cars -- "It's only a fad."